


As sure as night is dark and day is light.

by oathkeptroxas



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DCU, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Black Siren backstory, Canon-Typical Violence, Female Anti-Hero, Flashbacks, Friendship/Love, Metahumans, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Redemption, Villains to Heroes, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-28
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-08-11 14:20:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7895956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oathkeptroxas/pseuds/oathkeptroxas
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place immediately after the the end of Season 2, but erases Flashpoint. Basically, pretend that the season ended with Barry and Iris talking on the porch. Good.</p><p> The team doesn't know what to do with Black Siren, and perhaps calling in some re-enforcements from Star City will kickstart some revelations. Is she what she seems to be? </p><p>The Black Siren arc that we deserve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is canon divergent, and gives Black Siren a background that I've concocted based on canon limitations and comic influences. It disregards the concept of Flashpoint, so imagine that the season ended with Barry and Iris on the porch. Earth-2 Laurel had a relationship with Earth-2 Oliver, that is pivotal to her backstory, however I am as of yet undecided whether or not Black Siren and Earth-1 Oliver will be involved. It depends on the progression of this story, how far I intend to take this and how the characters develop as I write.  
> Oliver and Felicity's relationship ended with her walking out on him. Felicity left the city. I do not feel comfortable writing Olicity. The manipulation, the ableism, the emotional abuse, the hypocrisy and the disrespect of their relationship throughout Season 4 doesn't sit well with me and I can't condone writing it. It was also non-sensical that Oliver didn't get his company back. So, let's pretend he did.

Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you  
Because you're mine, I walk the line

As sure as night is dark and day is light  
I keep you on my mind both day and night  
And happiness I've known proves that it's right  
Because you're mine, I walk the line

I Walk The Line | Johnny Cash.

* * *

 

Weeks had passed since that rainy morning where Barry had laid his father to rest, and though the pain still weighed hot and heavy in his chest, he’d soldiered on. He’d thrown himself into his work, both as a way to be productive and because regardless of speed-bumps, life goes on, the world keeps turning.

Dusk had settled over Central City and The Team had a problem. The containment cells at STAR Labs were getting crowded, and it was an absurd idea to believe that they had the facilities to house these metas permanently. However, they had little to no options at their disposal, which ultimately boiled down to expanding their facilities, or handing them over to Argus.

But, as King Shark could attest, Argus wasn’t exactly fool-proof. Certainly not shark-proof. There was a worry of the government trying to manipulate these people into weapons, Argus had done that before quite infamously

The Team didn’t particularly like spending time down in their makeshift prison. One inhabitant specifically caused them more than a little discomfort: Black Siren. Looking in the face of the late Laurel Lance and knowing that it wasn’t their Laurel, had certainly taken its toll. No matter how jarring it was to encounter any of the doppelgangers, it was another entirely to see the alternate of someone who had been taken, especially when the wound was so fresh.

Black Siren paced in the tiny cell, her arms were folded tightly across her chest and she refused to acknowledge the trio that stood just a few feet away down the hall. The soundproofing on her prison was stifling in more ways than one, it may have made her siren call ineffective, but it also prevented her from dishing out taunts. How dare they talk about her like she wasn’t there? Like she couldn’t hear every syllable.

Barry looked stressed, there was a hint of desperation in his pleading gaze and the furrow of his brow. Caitlin was trying to come up with a plan, trying to think in terms of logic and tactics, anything to distance herself from the image of their fallen ally.

Cisco looked pained, he flicked a glance over his shoulder at the cell, and its occupant passed him a scathing glance. His mind flickered back to when he and Laurel had first met, how she’d approached him personally for his help and expertise. The device he’d provided had paled in comparison to Black Siren’s sonic scream, but there was no technology on any Earth that could stand toe to toe with its metahuman equivalent. He’d been so happy to meet her, the Black Canary. And she’d been so sweet, indulgent, with an infectious smile. She’d seemed pure. Black Siren was none of those things.

“We can’t tell Captain Lance, this would be devastating,” Barry reiterated. “But we can’t just keep her here forever and give her 3 meals a day. What about Oliver? Or Thea? Thea and Laurel lived together, they were close.”

Caitlin shook her head a little desolately. “What could she do? There’s no way that this would help anyone.”

Cisco, without looking away from the cell, placed a hand on Barry’s shoulder in comfort. “We all miss Laurel. But that’s not her. All of the things that we loved about Laurel aren’t there.” He finally tore his gaze away to offer Barry a small smile.

“I don’t believe that though. I mean- I guess, sure, she’s not Laurel. We don’t know her. But, in a way, she _is_.” Barry started, his eyebrows pulled together as he tried to find the words. “We’re all subject to circumstance. We’re moulded by change. We evolve. So, we might not know what she went through to make her that way, but at her core she still has the key characteristics of the Laurel of this Earth.”

“Barry, you can’t really believe that,” Caitlin said hesitantly.

“I have to. I have to believe that!” Barry replied passionately. “Think about it: Why else would Iris and I always end up together, in every timeline, in every reality? Why else would you and Ronnie be together in Earth 2? Why would I still have my thirst for knowledge, my scientific drive? Why would Iris still have her bravery, her need for the truth?”

“I don’t know…” Cisco trailed off warily, “I don’t have much in common with my doppelganger, bro. This isn’t an exact science, I mean, _Joe_ hated you on Earth Two. And didn’t Zoom try to force you to be like him by killing Henry? He obviously thought that circumstance mattered, and he was wrong.”

“But that’s exactly my point. I’m _not Zoom_ . I will always be _me_ no matter what happens, I will always be me at my core.” Barry elaborated. “But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t hypothetical scenarios that would cause me to do something I normally wouldn’t. I was willing to kill him. I would’ve. Criminals aren’t born criminals. Not even Zoom. Caitlin, you know that better than anyone else. You said so yourself, Zoom is a monster but there’s a human in there.”

Caitlin sighed softly and flickered a glance between the two boys. “Barry, you see the good in people, it’s part of what makes you such a good hero. It’s what stopped Zoom from getting to you. But, maybe you’re just seeing what you want to be true.”

Barry huffed out a breath, his shoulders hunched forward as if in defeat. “I guess, I just need to believe that people are inherently good, that even though they do bad things, they do them as a byproduct of circumstance.”

“So, what?” Caitlin ventured after a stilted silence, “You were hoping to what? Talk some sense into her? Barry, that’s dangerous and unlikely to reap the results you want.”

“I know that...I guess I just don’t want to feel helpless. We’re still grieving her and suddenly there she is, and we _can’t_ just lock her up here forever. But maybe if there was someone she was close to on her own Earth, we could find their Earth One equivalent and maybe….”

Cisco patted Barry’s arm gently and shook his head a little. “There’s nothing we can do right now. We can worry about this when we’ve got time to catch our breaths. There’s no rush.”

Caitlin shot a glance towards the cell at that, pondering what Black Siren thought of their discussion. But behind her soundproof cell there was no way to ask, and her opinion wouldn’t amount to much in the long-run. The metahuman in question met her gaze, her eyes dark, her smile sinister and mocking. A shudder passed through Caitlin as she was engulfed by a memory, Zoom’s hands on her shoulders, his coal eyes boring into her face. She felt trapped, like she was still stuck there, and when Cisco’s hand grasped gently at her elbow, she flinched.

Barry glanced between the two of them, and he and Cisco shared a look. They knew that recent events had taken their toll on Caitlin, and though they were on the lookout for when things got to be a little too much, they usually opted not to comment. She’d come to them when she was ready.

The trio walked away, closing the door to the containment area tightly behind them. Behind the glass of her cell, Black Siren tilted her head in contemplation, considering their conversation. _A byproduct of circumstance._ It was an optimistic line of thought to say the least, but in no way untrue. People rarely - if ever - did things without, at least personal, justification.

She had often wondered herself about who she might have been if things had happened differently. Was that truly the essence of the multi-Earths? The timelines were altered and thus their characters were shaped accordingly? With that reasoning, it was logical to assume that there were versions of her out there that were far worse than she was herself. Afterall, she hadn’t always been this way.

Joining Zoom’s army had been a self-preservation tactic. Rising through the ranks and acting as his right-hand was a much-needed safety net in a world that was growing ever fearful of metahumans. She’d done some despicable things, many of which she’d never be able to atone for. But underneath it all, she’d felt this compulsive need to claim control. She needed to be powerful. Being feared was a lot safer than being vulnerable, after all.

Perhaps if she could dismantle Zoom’s empire from the inside, just bide her time and pool her knowledge, maybe she could get him put down permanently. She’d learnt to operate in a morally grey area, and she truly believed that sometimes you have to do some bad to do some good. If she had to be convincing, if she had to play evil, _if she had to become evil_ to reach her goal then she would. The ends always justify the means, after all.

But she’d been slipping, ever since entering Earth One, she’d been off her game. Zoom only told her the bare minimum of what she would need to know in order to get under The Flash’s skin. Her doppelganger had been a friend of his, and had perished, _recently_ . Though she’d had the abstract knowledge that her Earth One equivalent existed, being confronted with that information had shaken her a little. If a version of her had existed here, maybe there was a version of _him_ too.

Her performance had been shoddy since she’d crossed over. For one, she’d straight up asked Zoom what his intentions were. Everyone knew that Zoom kept his people on a need-to-know basis, and speaking out of turn could get you killed. But, she’d been compelled to question, felt it spewing forth without consent. And he’d sent her out to cause more destruction. A part of her was grateful that he hadn’t given specification. The building she chose was empty, desolate and abandoned. Nobody would miss it when it crumbled to the ground. Zoom didn’t need to know she’d incited no casualties.

Though metahumans were commonplace on Earth-2, there were still those who held tight to their preconceived ideals of what was just and right. The government and law enforcement agencies had stationed metahuman task forces to quell the rise in metahuman activity, whether good or bad. Vigilantism was illegal, and just another way that she had become a target. Operating outside of the law had put her on the radar, though she had initially been acting as a hero of sorts, not on the same scale as the Flash, but on a lower-level, helping the hopeless capacity.  

It was only a matter of time before she’d crossed paths with Green Arrow, a Robin Hood-esque, social-justice warrior who persevered with nothing but hand to hand combat and superior archery skills. With all of the hype surrounding the metahuman increase, non-meta vigilantes were forgotten, and he was able to carry out his work without police interference.

She often blamed herself for what had happened. Maybe if she hadn’t drawn attention to them. Maybe if she’d walked away. The truth of the matter is that if Oliver Queen had never met her, he’d most likely still be alive.

It had just been one wayward bullet, an off-center shot by a junior officer. They’d been spotted on the rooftop, the police had given chase immediately, and though Dinah could’ve easily let loose a sonic screech, she was still having trouble controlling the pitch and decibels of her ability. It was all still so new, and she hadn’t wanted to cause the officers any harm. How would they ever convince law enforcement they were on the same side if she deafened them all, or worse, got them killed?

It was just one shot, the pop and crack of the gun and the bullet whistling through the air. Ollie dropped, a sickening smack sounded as he hit the ground, his head colliding mercilessly with the concrete ledge. She’d snapped.

With no conscious decision being made, she’d whirled. Her mournful cry became a torrent of sound, a tunnel of sonic blast that knocked the police down like bowling pins, left them clutching their heads in agony. She couldn’t stop screaming. She wanted to, she told herself this wasn’t the way. But there was a feeling like tar in her chest, black and hot and engulfing. Ollie’s eyes were blank and lifeless and she didn’t think she’d ever stop screaming.

Her anger and grief consumed her, and a darkness took hold of her thoughts, tainting her perceptions. For a long time she hated the justice system, these so called do-gooders that were often more corrupt and money-grabbing than any thug she’d encountered. She’d wrecked havoc through her grief, she’d instilled fear in the hearts of the city’s police force. But ultimately, once the gaping wound of Oliver’s death wasn’t quite so raw, she concluded that if metahuman criminals hadn’t been incurring such hell in the streets, then the law enforcement professionals wouldn’t be so trigger happy. If people like Zoom hadn’t risen to power and struck fear in the hearts of citizens, then the special task forces and heightened police wouldn’t have been out in force. Maybe her Ollie would still be alive. And maybe if she could take down Zoom then things could go back to a relative peace, she could forget the entire mess and grief her lost love and never again utter a single scream.

  
Her eyes fluttered closed as she braced her hands against the cold glass of her cell, her fingers spread wide over the surface. She let out her frustration in a scream that rippled against the pane, the glass not even trembling under the assault. It left her feeling empty.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda want to include Roy/Wally in this. I ship them like it's nobody's business in the comics and I'm curious about how they'd interact in the CW verse. However, I don't want to get off track or bite off more than I can chew with this fic. I may just see how it goes, and perhaps include them in an incredibly minor capacity. What do you guys think?

Oh, no  
Don't ever say goodbye  
See my head aches from all this thinkin'  
Feels like a ship God, God knows I'm sinkin'  
Wonder what you do and where it is you stay  
These questions like a whirlwind, they carry me away

Flowers for a Ghost | Thriving Ivory

* * *

 

After another quiet week had passed, the heroes were really beginning to feel restless. They were all constantly plagued with the feeling of just waiting for the other shoe to drop. They had all accepted that eventually trouble would find them once more, the criminals and metahumans seemed to be laying low after the threat that Zoom had posed to them all. That relative peace would always be temporary.

Even though he wasn’t needed there, Barry had found - much like the rest of them had - that STAR Labs was a safe haven of sorts. After sharing a laughter-filled breakfast with the Wests, he’d headed to the facility. The Team were his friends, and they were all feeling a little lost, unaware of what to do with the unforeseen down-time. They found comfort in each other’s company.

They hadn’t yet revisited the discussion of what to do with their inmates. Their options were limited and none of them were particularly favourable. It had become a matter of ‘we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it’, all of them opting to put off the decision until it was absolutely necessary. But Barry had noticed that Cisco was pensive, his eyes often lingered on the security monitor in the lab, his gaze flickered over the screen as it cycled through the live footage of each individual cell.

When Barry arrived Cisco was working furiously at his station, his screens displaying schematics and designs for yet another invention. He was fiddling with a device in his hand, taking it apart and reassembling, not a word spoken to any of his colleagues as they mulled around.

“He’s been like that all morning, he was here before I was,” Caitlin imparted to an incredulous Barry as he stepped up beside her.

With his arms folded across the expanse of his chest, and his brows furrowed in curious confusion, Barry approached Cisco to peer over his shoulder. 

“What’re you working on?” Barry asked.

“Yes, Ramon, why not share with the class?” Dr. Wells remarked as he entered.

Cisco didn’t take his eyes from the task at hand, but he did draw up the original blueprint for the  _ Canary Cry _ he’d fashioned for Laurel the prior year. The screen held two windows, the first featuring the sonic collar he’d invented, the other holding the plans for the tool he was now constructing. “It’s an audio modification device,” he informed them, his brows furrowed in concentration as he continued his work without pause.

Barry opened his mouth to speak, multiple questions danced on the tip of his tongue. But somebody else’s voice rang through the room first. 

“I thought you already had a voice changer built into your suit?” Oliver Queen questioned, he was leaning casually in the doorway, but shrugged away to walk forward when Barry turned to greet him.

Cisco closed down the  _ Canary Cry _ schematics in a practised move of subtlety, and with Oliver’s attention trained on Barry, it went unnoticed. Cisco stood from his seat, and turned to face the newcomer, he placed a hand palm-down atop the monitor and gave it a fond tap before offering Oliver a smile he hoped wasn’t obviously fake.

“O-Oliver!” Barry blurted, shocked to see his friend out of the blue this way. “W-what’re you doing here?” He grinned wide in surprise and tried not to think about the fact they had the doppelganger of Oliver’s deceased ex-girlfriend imprisoned in their basement.

Oliver gave a small smile and inclined his head towards the exit, “Have you got a minute?”

“Sure!” Barry readily agreed, and they headed back out into the hall. 

 

* * *

 

Once the door was shut tight behind them, Caitlin and Dr. Wells approached Cisco’s station, gathering around as he resumed his project.

“What’s this for, Ramon?” Wells asked, removing his glasses momentarily to wipe them over.

“I was thinking about how Black Siren was pretty high up in Zoom’s regime. She might be able to tell us something, maybe fill in some blanks about these Vibes I’ve been getting. But, we can’t talk to her without running the risk of her killing us all with her scream,” He informed.

“So, what did you come up with?” Caitlin inquired, intrigued.

“It’s a mouthpiece that will filter the sound waves and lower the pitch and decibel output,” Cisco started, “In theory, it will neuter the scream so that it becomes no more than a high-human screech, nonlethal.”

“That’s all very well and good in theory, but we can’t risk that.” Dr. Wells doubted.

“I know. That’s why I fixed up the _ Canary Cry _ prototype, I’ve altered it to fit my personal voice profile. If I were to wear the sonic collar and scream into the mouthpiece, it should come out as just a normal scream, because the vocal output would be filtered through the device.” He said, indicating the plans and notes on screen that backed up his intentions, “I’d have to crank it up quite a few notches afterwards, once I know it works, because the  _ Canary Cry  _ isn’t a match for what Siren can do.”

“So, what you’re saying is, if you pull this off we can just talk to her? Interrogate her without threat of going deaf?” Caitlin couldn’t help but ask, her eyes darting over the project laid out in front of her.

“That’s the idea,” Cisco smirked.

 

* * *

 

With his hands stuffed into his pockets and his head bowed, Oliver looked the epitome of awkward. Barry waited patiently for his friend to speak, it was unlike him to simply show up, and Barry feared the worst, and that Oliver may very well be in desperate need of his help.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner,” Oliver breathed.

Barry almost let out an audible ‘huh?’ in incredulity, before composing himself. “What’re you talking about, Oliver?” He asked, his brows pulling together as he tried to connect the dots.

“Your father,” Oliver clarified. “Barry, I’m so sorry, if there’s anything I can do…” He trailed off.

Comprehension dawned, and though Barry appreciated his friend’s concern, the reminder of what he’d lost was unwelcome. Barry took in a shaky breath and tried to offer a smile.

“It means a lot that you came,” He said, and it was the truth. He was touched that Oliver had made the trip, it was a long ways, and Oliver wasn’t able to make it in milliseconds the way that he could himself. 

“You were there for me when I lost Laurel, and I know what it’s like to have both of your parents die in front of you, I know how helpless I felt. So, if…If you ever need to talk, I’m here.” Oliver eventually got out, it wasn’t easy for him to be so open with his emotions this way, but Barry was a loyal, trusted friend who needed and deserved the comfort.

Oliver couldn’t help but think back to those final, precious moments with Laurel, where she’d all but begged him to stop cutting himself off. He had people around him who wanted the best for him, who saw him in ways he couldn’t himself. He had vowed to be the best version of himself that he could be in her memory. It was long past time he started meeting people halfway.

“I appreciate that, I do,” Barry’s voice grew thick, his throat closing around the weight of his feelings, “I just...I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it just yet.”

Oliver simply nodded once, before he reached forward to place a hand on Barry’s shoulder. His eyes shone with compassion in a way that Barry could never remember seeing them, and he was so grateful for his friend’s support.

 

* * *

 

When the two heroes re-entered the work area, only Caitlin and Cisco remained. Cisco was still tampering with his device, Oliver raised an eyebrow but thankfully didn’t comment. Caitlin was sat on an office chair absently reading through the day’s newspaper. 

There hadn’t been any shocking headlines since the showdown with Zoom, but things never remained quiet for long. This was certainly the calm before the storm, and if Cisco’s recent Vibes were anything to go by, they had a shitstorm headed straight for them.

“Well, I just wanted to stop by and see if you needed anything, tell you how sorry I was to hear about what happened, so if you’re sure there’s nothing I can do, I should really be heading back,” Oliver told them, gesturing vaguely to the exit.

Barry clapped Oliver between the shoulder blades and grinned, “I’ll call you if I need anything, I promise. But, I really think I’m good, man.”

Caitlin hopped up from her seat and extended a hand for Oliver to shake, “Nice to see you again, Mr. Queen.”

Oliver smiled a little stiffly at the propriety, though he appreciated the manners and easy acceptance. He grasped her hand for a firm farewell shake. Where Caitlin had stood, the monitor on the desk that was previously obscured by her sitting form was revealed. Following the line of her arm and past her elbow, Oliver’s eyes were drawn to movement on the screen.

His breath stole from his lungs, hitching in his throats as he gasped audibly. His grip on Caitlin’s hand tightened sharply before he let go. His hand swung numbly to his side. She was...He would know that face anywhere...But it couldn’t be her, it just  _ couldn’t.  _ His heart began beating erratically until he could hear the roaring of it echoing in his ears. Like a ghost he watched her glide gracefully back and forth her small enclosure and he had so many questions. The cocktail of swirling feelings inside him threatened to pull him under and he fear he might pass out. A sharp pain stung through the valley of his ribs. This couldn't be real.

The footage changed, the monitor now showcasing the image of an empty cell. Woodenly, Oliver pivoted to look at Barry. Betrayal and heartbreak, with no small amount of fury, was etched into every line of his expression. “What are you not telling me?” He breathed out between clenched teeth, the dark tone made the question sound like a command.

  
“It’s not her, Oliver.  _ It’s not her _ , I promise.”


	3. Chapter 3

_There's really no way to reach me._

_There's really no way to reach me._

_Is there really no way to reach me?_

_Am I already gone?_

**Vienna | The Fray**

* * *

 

 

Oliver’s jaw was clenched tight, teeth grinding as he valiantly tried to hold his tongue. He owed Barry the opportunity to explain, but his respect for his friend only went so far, especially in this unforeseen circumstance. His balled fists shook almost imperceptibly.

Barry had his hands up in front of him, spread wide and palms towards Oliver, it was a gesture meant to placate. The speedster’s face showed signs of remorse, and there was a softness around his eyes that hinted towards a sad kind of compassion. “It’s Laurel’s doppelganger.”

Oliver stilled, his mind working far too fast for his thoughts to be concise. Barry had told him about the alternate Earths, about the various different versions of themselves that existed. Like living, breathing evidence of what scientists had been theorizing for years, and she was contained and pacing behind shatterproof glass.

“She’s not Laurel. Not the one we knew,” Barry reiterated softly.

“Why...Why is she here?” Oliver asked hesitantly. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was asking exactly. _Why is she on this Earth? Why are you keeping her captive? Why does she get to be here when my Laurel can’t?_ All very valid inquiries.

“She was working for Zoom,” Caitlin imparted gently, her eyes were downcast and her head was bowed, as if she wished she had better news to share.

“She was a villain on Earth 2, Caitlin and I are too,” Cisco filled in, temporarily putting his project aside. He spun in his chair to face Oliver. “She calls herself Black Siren.”

Oliver nodded once as he processed that. Now that the facts were out there, everything seemed rather reasonable. Barry was doing his job, he could respect that. But the ripple effect of hurt that seeing her face had caused, that would take longer to work past.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Oliver settled on, it seemed a perfectly reasonable question after all. Laurel concerned him more so than anyone else in Central City- _No._ _Dinah._ Laurel’s _mother_ had moved to Central City.

“There was nothing you could do Oliver, we had to act quickly and just get her locked up. There was no need to cause unnecessary grief.” Barry responded, oblivious to Oliver’s sidetracked thoughts.

“Dinah. Laurel’s mother lives here in the city. Was there a broadcast? Could she have seen?” Oliver worried, he couldn't think of anything more painful than seeing your deceased child embodying evil and destruction.

Barry looked shocked for a second, as though he hadn’t considered the possibility. “It’s doubtful. And even if she did see something, she wouldn’t make the connection. She doesn’t know about the other Earths, and with Laurel’s loss being so fresh, she might have just thought she was seeing her because she wanted to.”

“What about Captain Lance? He knows about the meta-humans. If Dinah mentioned it to him then he’d put it together, he’s smart.” Oliver ventured.

“We’ll just have to cross that bridge if and when we come to it,” Barry sighed, “We didn’t think it was fair to tell him about this.”

“Why not?” Oliver couldn’t help but ask, though he himself wondered if maybe he too would have been better off not knowing.

“He’s had to bury his daughters more times than he’s seen them be born,” Barry murmured softly, “It didn’t seem right for him to come here only to lose one again.”

Oliver winced at the reminder but conceded to that point. He paced over to Cisco’s work station to eye the device that was seconds from completion, he spied the _Canary Cry_ prototype beside it and his brow furrowed. “What’s this for?”

“Black Siren’s ability. Her scream isn’t like anything I’ve ever come across. Her sonic projection is off the charts, enough to kill, ears bleeding.” Cisco informed, “The idea is that I reverse engineer the schematics of the _Canary Cry,_ so that the decibel of the audio is lower with projection.”

Oliver couldn't help but take in a sharp breath as he imagined the level of damage this meta seemed capable of. Oliver had nothing in his arsenal that would ever be able to combat that. Perhaps Green Arrow was a little in over his head in regards to metas. But, there was something he still didn’t quite understand.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to have earbuds then? If you made multiple pairs of headphones, everyone would wear them and be safe. If she has a mouthpiece on, like a muzzle, couldn’t she just remove it?”

Cisco nodded and gave a self-satisfied smirk, “We’d have to cuff her. I thought of headphones initially, ‘cause that would be a way easier way to solve our core problem, which is the sonic. But, her scream is so powerful that it leveled buildings. Headphones might protect our nervous system, but she could still have all of STAR Labs crumbling down around our ears,” Cisco continued tampering as he spoke, clearly confident that he’d covered every angle, “The scream needs to be neutered upon projection.”

“How much time do you need, Cisco?” Barry asked.

“Gimme an hour. This thing is about done, I’m just gonna have to test it. If it works then we’re good to go once I increase its power.” Cisco remarked.

* * *

Whilst they waited for Cisco to finish his work, Barry showed Oliver the limited footage they’d compiled from Black Siren’s attack. Oliver watched the grainy, muted video with fascination. There was an almost impressed quirk of his brow, but there was a softness around his eyes that suggested it was painful for him to see Laurel this way.

The footage ended abruptly as the tunnel of sound-waves disrupted the signal and Oliver let out a long breath as he blinked at the static left behind.

“She could have killed me, but she didn’t.” Barry almost whispered.

“How? What do you mean?” Oliver asked, a hint of hope in his tone that he simply couldn’t squash.

“A couple more seconds of that scream and my brain would’ve bled out of my ears, and she just stopped, decided to finish the fight hand to hand. She gave me a fighting chance. I don’t know why.” Barry’s brow furrowed as he thought back over the experience.

“Do you think she’s….?” Oliver trailed off.

“I don’t know what to think,” Barry stated, “But, I guess I wanna believe there’s more to it. But only she can tell us that.”

Oliver nodded but his face was pensive.

“Oliver, I don’t want to give you false hope. She could just be evil. But, if there’s even a slight chance that I’m missing something here, I’ve gotta know. For my own peace of mind. You don’t have to be a part of this if it’s hard for you.” Barry wanted to give his friend an out, he couldn’t imagine how difficult this must be. On Earth 2 he and Iris were married, he didn’t have to worry about seeing Iris as anything other than the woman he loved.

“No, I’d like to be here. For my own peace of mind.” Oliver sighed.

* * *

When Cisco returned, over the moon and beaming with pride for his successful invention, they were all eager to get things started. The group, consisting of Barry, Oliver, Cisco and Caitlin, made their way towards the containment facility. The plan was to gas Black Siren’s cell until she was unconscious, then cuff her hands behind her back and fit the mouthpiece, before depositing her in the neighbouring - non-soundproof - cell. Very straight-forward in theory, there was very little that could go wrong.

Black Siren heard footsteps approaching. It was irritating to her that the soundproofing only worked one way. She could hear them talking about her as if she weren’t right in front of them, but she couldn’t even do so much as offer a scathing remark in response.

Her arms were folded tightly across her chest in defiance. Her back was to them as she heard them file in, a group of them ready to gawp at her through the glass like she was an animal at the zoo. Her patience was wearing thin, but she had no means to do anything about it.

She flicked a glance over her shoulder, her steely gaze settled on the heroes. She froze. His beard was trimmed and his hair was shorter, the blonde not quite as pronounced, but it was him. She knew somewhere in the back of her mind that _it wasn’t him._ He was _gone_ , there was no changing that. But she’d thought she’d never see him again and his face was right there peering into her own.

A heavy, hot longing burnt in her chest and clogged her throat and she feared she’d end up fighting back tears. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t afford to show weakness in front of her captors. She needed to hold herself together but it _hurt._ She was better than this, stronger. She would not be reduced by just a look at his face. She wouldn’t.

Without her consent, she whispered “Ollie.” Her lips barely moved to let loose the sound.

A sudden hissing had her snapping her attention around, a vapour was pouring through the cells vents and she started to gasp, convulsing as she clutched at her throat. Her panic-filled eyes locked on his and she threw herself at the glass in desperation. She saw the heartbreak in Not-Ollie’s eyes before she succumbed to the black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait! Please let me know your thoughts!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!! I really hope you like it, even though its not as long as previously! Getting Black Sirens character to be consistent and really resonate is so difficult when I only have one episode to work with!
> 
> (Also if the spoilers for Arrow are true they can fuck right off! Why would a meta human who nearly, easily killed The Flash and didnt express any fear of Zoom, suddenly be afraid of Prometheus, get taken down by Oliver and Felicity, and need Team Arrow's help? Lmfao. I hate Arrow. Why are they afraid of strong women and character consistency??)
> 
> Your comments mean the world to me and they keep me pushing on with this! ❤

Once Black Siren was unconscious it was a rather simple endeavour to relocate her to the next cell, they sat her down and handcuffed her hands behind her back, hooking her arms around the back of the chair in the process, making escape impossible.

 

Oliver watched as Cisco and Barry secured her, he was frozen, unable to offer his assistance. There was a part of him that was afraid to touch her, as if she was nothing more than a grief-conjured illusion, like she’d disappear like a wisp of smoke in the breeze if he were to get too close. What were the odds that Laurel’s doppelganger would appear so soon after he’d lost her? He hadn’t even seen his own doppelganger yet. 

 

The whole situation struck him as being heartbreakingly unjust, unfair. Seeing her face now just rubbed the salt in.

 

After she was secured and the cell was closed, they stood back waiting for her to wake. The strain of the gas they’d used wouldn’t keep her out for long, there was no use in prolonging this. Slowly, her head rolled a little as her eyes blinked open, she jerked awake, her eyes darted around between them. She yanked at her confines, shook her head against the muzzle, there was panic in her eyes that made Oliver flinch.

 

Cisco’s eyes were clenched shut and his body tense, praying to any God that would listen that his invention wouldn’t fail them. It was one thing for it to pass tests and another to actually put it into practise with potentially fatal consequences.

 

Barry stepped forward. “We have some questions for you, this device is gonna give you the chance to answer.” He informed her.

 

Black Siren opened her jaws to scream, but only low, rumbling hum came out. She tried again and received the same results. Cisco had cranked the power up more than he’d calculated he’d need to, just in case. The scream was neutralized completely. He breathed a huge sigh of relief and pondered whether or not requesting a high five would be inappropriate.

 

“Fuck you,” Dinah spat at the team, her voice cold. Cisco had designed the mouthpiece to only alter soundwaves that were above an inhumane decibel, and he smirked to himself when he realised if he hadn’t made that distinction, she’d be doing a convincing Darth Vader impersonation right about now.

 

Barry raised his hands up in a placating gesture. He schooled his expression to be passively calm, not giving anything away, not giving her the opportunity to play on their weaknesses. “There’s something odd about this. I don’t understand why you would take orders from Zoom. You levelled buildings. You can kill people from a distance with nothing but your voice. You can’t expect us to believe you needed him.” Barry tried, voicing a concern he’d had for a while.

 

Cisco thought back to their failed attempt to trick her. She’d seemed more than willing to discuss an allegiance, regardless of her supposed loyalty to Zoom. Then again perhaps she’d already had them pegged, knew he wasn’t Reverb all along. It was just another layer to her they had no explanation for.

 

She scoffed. “Flattery will get you nowhere,” she taunted.

 

Barry shrugged, nonplussed. “Not flattery. Just cold, hard facts.”

 

Her eyes narrowed as she flashed a glance over them all, but she said nothing. The stubborn, downturned set of her mouth became more pronounced. Oliver noticed that throughout all of this,she hadn’t looked at him once. Perhaps it was a result of the fact he hadn’t drawn attention to himself, but with how perceptive he was, it almost seemed to him that she was actively avoiding his gaze.

 

He briefly acknowledged that it could be wishful thinking on his part, that perhaps the whole ordeal of this was rocking him so significantly that he wanted the same to be true for her. He had to remind himself _it’s not her._ Still he took a cautious step forward and maneuvered himself into her line of sight. “Why you? Why would Zoom choose to use you now? You’re far from the first doppelganger this city has had to deal with. Was it a diversion? Some sick game to toy with Barry because Zoom knew that seeing Laurel would shake him?”

 

Oliver’s voice grew steely, colder. His anger at the injustice of the situation was mounting. Barry placed a calming hand on Oliver’s bicep. Oliver watched as something unidentifiable flashed in Siren’s eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

 

 _They know nothing,_ she thought to herself. No matter how close this Oliver’s assumption had been to the mark, she wouldn’t let anything show. She schooled herself, wiped her expression clear of anything telling. Her top lip curled back with an unimpressed sneer. “And you are?” She asked scathingly, whilst raising an incredulous brow. She wouldn’t tell these people a thing.

 

Oliver recognized he’d taken the reigns unnecessarily. This wasn’t his fight, it was Barry’s. Oliver had no place relinquishing control from the speedster. But this was _Laurel_ , even though it wasn’t. Oliver felt that if this truly concerned anyone, it should be him. Laurel had been his. He knew her the way no one else had.

 

He flicked a glance over his shoulder at Barry, and knew he was letting his emotions cloud his judgement, allowing his feelings to get the better of him. But he couldn’t seem to help it. An impulsive need to be as in control as possible had remained with him since his return from the island, like a coping mechanism to deal with all the times he’d been made a victim. Though Oliver knew it wasn’t fair to those around him, it was often hard to repress.

 

Dinah watched Not-Ollie’s expression shift. It hurt her, to stare straight into a face she would swear she knew as well as her own and pretend it was the first time she’d seen it. But everything she’d done for a long time now had been in the name of self-preservation, no matter what she’d had to do, regardless of consequences. This was no different. Oliver took a shaky, unconscious step back in response, his fist clenched at his sides and he channelled the sudden grief he felt into self-righteous anger.

 

“We hold all the cards here. Sooner or later you’ll tell us what we need to know.” He vowed.

 

“We’ll see about that,” she promised.

 

The steadfast determination he exuded was so reminiscent of _her_ Ollie that a lump formed in her throat. Her easy snark and no-bullshit retort reminded him so much of Laurel that he had to close his eyes against it.


End file.
